The applicant's long-term goal is to develop a community based, culturally relevant intimate partner violence (IPV) prevention program for young African-American (AA) women. To achieve this goal, a focused research career development plan is proposed: 1) to gain advanced knowledge regarding qualitative research design, methods and analyses, 2) to gain advanced knowledge of young adult AA women's IPV risk and protective factors by conducting and analyzing data from focus groups, and 3) to gain theoretical and practical knowledge about research in the local AA community by conducting a community based IPV needs assessment, focus groups, and ultimately a culturally specific IPV prevention program. The purpose of the proposed accompanying study is to address gaps in prevention science by developing an IPV prevention program that uses a culturally specific approach to apply key elements of IPV prevention to an evidenced based prevention program that has demonstrated efficacy with ethnically diverse groups. A pilot test of each prevention component (peer group support, skills training, group social bonding) of the IPV prevention curriculum among young adult AA women is proposed. There is an urgent need for prevention science to develop programs that decrease the vulnerability of young AA women since they comprise the largest known group of IPV victims in the United States. Yet there is a paucity of evidence based IPV prevention programs that have been developed to reflect the ethno cultural variance of young adult AA women. Importantly, this study provides the opportunity for Dr. Tyson to extend her strong methodological and analytical skills by developing her own independent research project. Both the research process and findings will contribute to building knowledge for the transfer of violence prevention programs to other ethnic/cultural groups. The proposed study is a direct response to the National Institute of Nursing Research call to conduct research that will improve the delivery of services to at risk populations that experience social and health care disparities and addresses a significant gap in prevention science and nursing inquiry.